I’m New Here – FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) about our church, who we are, what we believe and what you might expect to find regarding our church family. If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for here, please contact the church office or at 859.858.3521. Someone would be happy to speak with you.
What are your weekly gathering times?
There are three worship gatherings each Sunday. The Sunday morning gatherings are at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and are identical in form and content.
There are also year round activities for all ages on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
What can I expect if I visit?
Expect to be welcomed and treated like family. You will see people of a variety of ages, from diverse backgrounds, different countries, and of different skin colors. There will be people dressed in a variety of ways, from shorts and sandals to suits and ties. Each worship service lasts approximately one hour and follows a blended format. The two morning services are styled the same; the evening service is a bit more informal in style.
Tell me some things I should know, but might miss, on a first visit.
Well, from Sunday to Sunday, the general order of worship on Sunday morning is the same, but the style of the different elements vary, so you really can’t get a grasp on, say our music style or liturgical elements, until you’ve been in morning worship for at least a month or so. We follow the church calendar, observing the Advent and Lenten seasons with special themes and services. We also celebrate Holy Communion on the first Sunday morning, and third Sunday evening of each month.
Although our evening gathering on Sundays, closing the Lord’s Day together, normally consists of a time for song, public testimony and a verse by verse study of a Biblical book, we also use that worship hour for a variety of special programming and services. Children’s and Youth Musicals, World Mission Moments by visiting missionaries, Healing services, community services – lots of different things happen on Sunday evening, which give us an extra opportunity to come together as a church family to worship and to expand our vision of ministry worldwide.
What does WFMC offer my family?
WFMC offers a sincere church experience – worship that is participatory and genuine – not a show, fellowship with people that are real, ministries that appeal to people of all ages and life stages, a wide variety of age-level ministries and opportunities, and a spiritually serious, friendly church family. Since many members of WFMC live a long way, geographically, from their extended family (including the pastoral staff); the church has become their family and it can become yours too.
What does “Blended Service Style” really mean?
We realize that “blended” is a loaded word in church circles. To us, “blended” means using elements of song and liturgy that are warm, friendly, orderly, theologically correct, and that appeal to a variety of tastes and preferences. We intentionally do not target specific age groups with musical styles and other elements of worship. Instead, we strive to create services that relate with and appeal to the wide variety of people in our parish. Everyone should find some element in all of our services they can appreciate. Everyone may find something they don’t particularly value – which is OK; someone else likely does value it. Adopting such a mindset about life and worship helps build Christian character. See our order of worship for this week.
I’m used to a smaller church. How do I “get connected” here?
“Small” and “large” are quite relative terms. WFMC currently has about 400 adult members, over 600 typically attend worship on a given Sunday morning, and about 1300 persons call WFMC their church home. While this may seem large to some, we try very hard to make our church intimate and accessible to all. We highly value knowing, and being known by, others. We practice a variety of ways of breaking the church down into smaller groups and ministries for this very purpose.
What is the difference between the Free Methodist and the United Methodist denominations?
In a nutshell, the Free Methodist church differs from the United Methodist church in that it continues to provide a more uniform expression consistent with historic Methodism. Both the United Methodist Church (commonly referred to as Methodist) and the Free Methodist Church share a common heritage, harkening back to the Wesleyan revival in England during the middle 1700s. By the middle 1800’s, however, concern arose over the waning of several key expressions of the Wesleyan revival. So the Free Methodist Church began as an attempt to restore those vital “Wesleyan” convictions, such as the doctrine of entire sanctification, the concern for the poor, the vision to end discrimination and racism, and Christian growth through small groups.
Since that time the Free Methodist Church has proven itself capable of preserving a sound commitment to classic conservative Christian doctrines such as the infallibility of scripture, salvation by faith, and the deity of Jesus Christ.